Top Jewish earners

by: Leslie Bunder - Last
updated: 2003-11-03

Roman Abramovich

Retail entrepreneur Philip Green, business tycoon Roman Abramovich and football star David Beckham are among the top 500 earners with a Jewish connection who have made it to the Sunday Times Paylist 2003.

British-born Green, 51, who owns department store BHs as well as the Arcadia chain of high-street fashion stores took home £171m in the last 12 months according to the Sunday Times.

But Green's multi-million pay packet is dwarfed by Russian-born Abramovich who amassed a £564m salary. According to business magazine, Forbes, Abramovich who also owns Chelsea football club is worth £3.5 billion.

Abramovich is a classic rags to riches story. As a young child in Russia, he lost his parents but through hard work and some very shrewd business moves he has made himself into one of the country's leading business people. Along with owning Chelsea, Abramovich has interests in property and oil.

TV, newspaper and magazine owner Richard Desmond saw his pay packet come in at £21m and emerge as the 32nd top wage earner. Desmond is the man credited with turning round Express Newspapers and the Daily Star. Through his Northern and Shell empire, Desmond also owns OK magazine as well as a number of other entertainment and adult interest magazines.

Coming in at 34 was football star David Beckham who earned £20.5m through his football wage packet as well as various sponsorship and other endorsements.

At 40 with an income of £18.1m is fashion chain Hobbs founder Marilyn Anselm. Her husband, Yoram Anselm made £17.5m. Late last year, they sold their chain to a management team.

Artist Lucian Freud, grandson of Sigmund Freud was born in Berlin and came to the UK as a child with his parents in 1933. According to the Pay List, Freud made £12m in the last year through the selling of his painting which can command upwards of £3m each.

Fashion-chain French Connection founder Stephen Marks made it to 89 and took home £8.9m.

Clive Jacobs, founder of Holiday Autos the car hire company made £7.6m as earlier this year he sold his business in a cash and shares deal to LastMinute.com. He also made it to the top 100 coming in at 96.

Video game tycoon Jez San who founded Argonaut made it to number 99 in the Pay List and took home £7.4m.

Brothers Adam and Sam Kaye who founded the ASK pizza chain took home a combined £6.8m and made it to 108 on the list.

Peter Simon, founder of fashion chain Monson saw his pay check come in at just over £6m as well as making it to 124 on the list.

London-born TV show host Jerry Springer made it to 125 with an income of £6m.

Sexy actress Rachel Weisz, star of The Mummy series of films, made £4.25. As the face of Revlon she is said to command £500,000 a year from them. He wage packet puts her at number 201.

Charles Wigador who founded Peoples Phone before selling out to Vodafone in the mid 90s made £3.4m and made it to 240 on the list. Today he is chief executive of Telecom Plus.

Lord Grabiner, the legal eagle top barrister is said to command £1000 an hour. In the last 12 months, he made £3m, putting him at number 267 in the list.

Advertising agency tycoon Sir Martin Sorrell took home £2.3m and as a result, he came 366 on the list.

Bookmaker Leonard Steinberg, founder of Liverpool-based Stanley Leisure took home £2.2m and also saw himself emerge as 380 on the list.